Groups oppose Mass for priest convicted of murder

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Two organizations that help victims of clergy abuse are upset that a Roman Catholic priest convicted of killing a nun in Ohio back in 1980 will receive a full funeral Mass.

The groups including the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests are asking the Toledo diocese to reverse its decision allowing the usual protocol for diocesan priests’ funerals for the Rev. Gerald Robinson.

Father Robinson died Friday in a prison hospice unit, eight years after the 76-year-old was convicted in what church historians have characterized as the only documented case of a Catholic priest killing a nun.

Father Robinson remained a priest after he was convicted but was barred from ministry.

A spokeswoman for the Toledo diocese says they had not received the letter and did not offer an immediate comment.